


When Necessity Speaks

by zinke



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: F/M, Gen, post episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-03
Updated: 2008-06-03
Packaged: 2018-09-17 06:07:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9308696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zinke/pseuds/zinke
Summary: He wouldn’t have been able to live with any other choice but the one he’s made.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to survivalinstinct.net on June 3, 2008.
> 
> The idea for this ficlet came from a post -episode comment pellucid made regarding what should happen when or (gulp) if Bill actually finds Laura and the wayward rebel basestar. Therefore, this story contains spoilers through episode 4x08 ‘Sine Qua Non’, as well as speculation regarding future episodes.
> 
> The title for the story comes from the following line in a love letter written by Ludwig Van Beethoven to his ‘Immortal Beloved’: “Why this deep sorrow when necessity speaks - can our love endure except through sacrifices, through not demanding everything from one another?” 
> 
> Many thanks to caz963 and nnaylime for the speedy beta and sentence untangling assistance. I couldn't have done it without you.

“What happened?”

Bill doesn’t answer right away; it’s such a deceptively simple question but beneath the words he can hear every nuance, every meaning in the achingly familiar timbre of her voice. Nothing between them has ever been easy, and he’d be a fool to expect anything different now. 

Only moments ago he’d held Laura in his arms, and the feel of her against him – so very warm, vibrant and alive – had made every one of the hours he’d spent adrift in emptiness worth the sacrifices he’d made. But now it is the President of the Colonies standing before him, with arms crossed and eyebrows raised expectantly, and Bill finds that he has no adequate explanation to offer her. The blinding desperation that had led him here has vanished, and he’s suddenly all too aware that no matter how he might try to rationalize his actions, to her they will merely sound reckless and impulsive. And yet, when he pauses to consider it, he wouldn’t have been able to live with any other choice but the one he’s made.

“They’re safe,” he finally replies as his eyes, unflinching and unapologetic, meet hers. “I’ve given Colonel Tigh command of the fleet until we return.”

“Bill…”

She doesn’t bother to finish the thought; they both know that her silence says more than any words she might utter. The flinty reproach in her eyes, the frustration deepening the delicate lines of her face immediately remind him of her bitter words from an argument that feels like a lifetime ago, and Bill shakes his head sharply, wanting to dislodge the memory before it leaves an indelible stain that weakens his resolve to see this – see her – through to the end – whatever that might be. 

Reaching into the duffle slung over his shoulder, he pulls out the battered tome that had been his staid companion during the long hours he’d spent drifting amongst the stars, waiting for her. Slowly, carefully, he hands her the book, fearful that if he pushes too hard the charred pages and everything they convey will disintegrate completely. 

Laura’s expression softens immediately as she takes it from him and reverently runs her fingertips over the familiar cover, allowing them to linger on the furrowed terrain of the title’s gold-embossed lettering. Raising her hand, she studies the dusting of soot that has accumulated on the pads of her fingers for a moment, then runs her thumb lightly across the charcoal residue as if trying to divine its meaning. 

Eventually she seems to find whatever answers she’s looking for, and she wipes her hand self-consciously on her pant leg while pulling the thin volume to her chest in a comforting embrace. Taking a deep breath, she meets Bill’s questioning gaze and offers him a forgiving – albeit tense – smile. “So, Tigh and…Zarek?”

He shakes his head, finds himself on the verge of grinning as he steps closer and answers, “Lee.”

Her surprise is palpable, but as she digests the information her posture gradually relaxes and her mouth curls into an almost-smile as she reaches out to thread her arm through his. “Okay,” she breathes softly. “Okay.”

“Yeah?” he asks as he looks down at her standing beside him, unable to mask the hope in his eyes or in his voice.

“Yes,” she replies with confidence – enough, maybe, for both of them – and leans into him just a little bit more as they move to join the others and face the uncertain future. Together. 

 

*fin.*


End file.
